With the alarming and ever-increasing rate of obesity in the United States, a common thought that floods many people's minds is; "I need to lose weight." What most of these people don't realize is that they should be saying; "I need to lose fat." These are not interchangeable comments and there are major differences between simple weight loss and specific fat loss.

When you see and hear the claims of people who've lost large amounts of weight (10 pounds and up) within a week, the majority of this weight loss, if not all, comes from water. The human body is made up of about 70% water and there is always excess water either in the bladder, intestines, under the skin, etc. The foods you eat and the liquids you drink all have water in them as well. These quick weight loss diets help drop this initial weight because calorie levels are drastically dropped, and thus the overall water intake drops as well. Once your calorie levels go back to normal, so does your fluid intake and you will more than likely gain this weight back.

Muscle loss, in my opinion, is not something people should strive for. Muscle burns calories. The more muscle you have, the more calories your body burns, especially at rest. It is also easier for your body to keep fat off when you have more muscle mass. Muscle also holds a shape. If you can't flex it, it's fat! Muscle mass is what gives shoulders their nice rounded look, outlines shapely thighs and keeps your butt firm.

There are some easy ways to maintain the muscle mass you already have (as well as gain some new muscle):

Now if you strive for fat loss, your body will eventually look significantly different (in a positive way) than if you had just opted for weight loss. Your stomach will begin to flatten, the jiggle of your upper arms will disappear, and your muscle definition will begin to show. Have you ever noticed those people who are thin, but not necessarily in shape? They may not be overweight, but they're usually not the person you look at and say "I'd love to look like that."

Not only is it healthier for you to lose fat, you will feel better while you're doing it. There is no need for the starvation diets or the "all liquid" diets. Eating smaller meals more frequently is the key to this process. Starvation diets actually slow down your metabolism in the long run, making it harder for you to keep the weight off.

When you eat one meal per day, your metabolism has that one opportunity to increase its calorie burning. Your body will then begin to adjust itself because it recognizes that you are taking in less calories, so your metabolism slows to compensate for this.

When you eat smaller meals and have a constant influx of healthy calories, your body will compensate for this and increase your metabolic rate, turning you into a calorie-burning furnace!

You don't have to go about fat loss on your own. Some excellent products to aid your fat loss goals are Green Stinger by Schwartz Labs or Lipodrene by Hi-Tech. These ephedra diet pills will help keep your metabolism cranking so you're burning up those unwanted calories.

If you want to go the non-stimulant route, Beverly International's Lean Out and Energy Reserve are fantastic. If you really want to drop fat fast, combine Green Stinger with Energy Reserve and watch the fat melt off.

Focusing on fat loss will help to ensure that your body looks great and you feel great as well. It will give you the body you truly desire without sacrificing your diet and your health. So stop starving yourself and start starving your fat! The result will be a leaner, healthier, sexier you!